


Seven times Lewis hugged Hathaway

by Rebecca



Category: Lewis (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Unbeta'd
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-08-11
Updated: 2009-08-11
Packaged: 2017-10-04 07:12:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rebecca/pseuds/Rebecca
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Title says it all.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seven times Lewis hugged Hathaway

**Author's Note:**

> Just a plot bunny which doesn't deserve collecting dust on my hard drive, poor little thing. Contains some spoilers for Life Born of Fire.
> 
> All characters belong to ITV. I'm doing this for fun, no profit made.

The first time Lewis put an arm around Hathaway, it wasn't a hug. It was a means of protecting Hathaway from the fiery hell Zoe Kenneth had let lose, from the guilt and misery Hathaway was letting himself be washed over with, and from the deadly wish of rescuing Zoe from the flames, or even joining her, Lewis wasn't sure. But Lewis wouldn't let go. No matter how hurt he was about Hathaway lying to him, and no matter how little he really knew about him, he had realised that much: He didn't want to lose him.

The second time didn't really count, either. They were both drunk. They had never drunk so much together before, and they would never drink so much together after. Lewis didn't even recall the occasion. When they left the pub, they clung to each other, moving together like a four-legged clumsy animal, which was still much more graceful than swaying along separately. They stuck their heads together, and something about it was very funny, and they laughed the whole way to Lewis' flat. Somehow, Hathaway ended up on Lewis' sofa that night.

The third hug _was_ a hug. A bit quick and awkward, though, but still. It was Hathaway's birthday. Of course, he hadn't told Lewis about it, but Lewis wasn't a copper for nothing, so he knew anyway. Just saying his congratulations seemed to little, shaking Hathaway's hand too formal, bringing a gift too much, so he spontaneously pulled Hathaway into an embrace. He wasn't good at such things, and too afraid to be doing the wrong thing, but when Hathaway smiled at him afterwards, he was glad he had done it.

The fourth hug happened on Oxford's yearly Gay Pride parade. This time, they were there in private, not on duty. Hathaway probably went to face memories of the past, Lewis probably went to be there with him. They hadn't talked about it, hadn't planned it, but there they were, sticking out among the merrily dressed participants like foreigners. They weren't foreigners, though, and the ghosts that haunted Hathaway weren't his alone. There was a minute of sad silence when everyone remembered what had happened the year before, and tears filled Hathaway's eyes, and laying an arm around Hathaway and rubbing small circles on his shoulder was all Lewis could do to soothe him.

It was only a few hours later, still on the Gay Pride, when they hugged for the fifth time. None of them had been able to resist the merry atmosphere around them for too long, and it was when they were standing in the middle of a cheerful, dancing crowd, each of them holding a paper rainbow flag in his hand of which Lewis wasn't sure how those had gotten there, when Hathaway smiled at him and thanked him. Lewis was about to shrug it away, but Hathaway wouldn't let the topic drop that easily, he embraced Lewis instead and, surely drawn into the mood of the event by the eager and not-too-discreet couples around them, placed a peck on Lewis' cheek.

The sixth embrace between the two of them was the one that changed things forever. Hathaway beside him on the sofa had fallen asleep during the movie they had been watching together, and during the process he had tilted more and more to the side until his head came to rest on Lewis' shoulder. Lewis lifted his arm around Hathaway and held him steady, the still running movie forgotten, listening to the slow rhythm of Hathaway's breathing instead. When the first of feather-light kisses touched his neck, Lewis thought Hathaway had accidentally done it in his sleep, but the kisses repeated, growing more determined each time, making it obvious Hathaway was awake. Maybe Lewis should have been surprised about this development, but he wasn't.

The seventh time they hugged was when they lay naked in bed together, content and happy and a bit exhausted. But after a while, Hathaway was furrowing his forehead, and Lewis could practically hear him thinking—of course Hathaway would start brooding in the most unfitting of moments. He poked Hathaway playfully in the side, then dragged him close, cradling Hathaway's head in his arm, hoping to make clear that where-ever this was leading, it was going to be all right. He'd make sure of that.

After that, Lewis stopped counting.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [[Podfic] Seven times Lewis hugged Hathaway by Rebecca](https://archiveofourown.org/works/2175474) by [fire_juggler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fire_juggler/pseuds/fire_juggler)




End file.
